Automatic for the Masses

The Death of the Author and the Birth of Socialist Realism

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, European, Eastern European, Nonfiction, History, Eastern Europe, European General
Cover of the book Automatic for the Masses by Petre M. Petrov, University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Petre M. Petrov ISBN: 9781442616943
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division Publication: February 26, 2015
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Petre M. Petrov
ISBN: 9781442616943
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Publication: February 26, 2015
Imprint:
Language: English

At the end of the 1920s, the Modernist and avant-garde artistic programmes of the early Soviet Union were swept away by the rise of Stalinism and the dictates of Socialist Realism. Did this aesthetic transition also constitute a conceptual break, or were there unseen continuities between these two movements? In Automatic for the Masses, Petre M. Petrov offers a novel, theoretically informed account of that transition, tracing those connections through Modernist notions of agency and authorship.

Reading the statements and manifestos of the Formalists, Constructivists, and other Soviet avant-garde artists, Petrov argues that Socialist Realism perpetuated in a new form the Modernist “death of the author.” In interpreting this symbolic demise, he shows how the official culture of the 1930s can be seen as a perverted realization of modernism’s unrealizable project. An insightful and challenging interpretation of the era, Automatic for the Masses will be required reading for those interested in understanding early Soviet culture.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

At the end of the 1920s, the Modernist and avant-garde artistic programmes of the early Soviet Union were swept away by the rise of Stalinism and the dictates of Socialist Realism. Did this aesthetic transition also constitute a conceptual break, or were there unseen continuities between these two movements? In Automatic for the Masses, Petre M. Petrov offers a novel, theoretically informed account of that transition, tracing those connections through Modernist notions of agency and authorship.

Reading the statements and manifestos of the Formalists, Constructivists, and other Soviet avant-garde artists, Petrov argues that Socialist Realism perpetuated in a new form the Modernist “death of the author.” In interpreting this symbolic demise, he shows how the official culture of the 1930s can be seen as a perverted realization of modernism’s unrealizable project. An insightful and challenging interpretation of the era, Automatic for the Masses will be required reading for those interested in understanding early Soviet culture.

More books from University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division

Cover of the book Associations and Law by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Constructing Policy Change by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Pride in Modesty by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book People versus Politics by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Recent Progress in Microbiology VIII by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Aristotle's Science of Matter and Motion by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Auto Pact by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Awful Parenthesis by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Dostoevsky, Grigor'ev, and Native Soil Conservatism by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book The Canadian Fur Trade in the Industrial Age by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Masterminding Nature by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Marco Polo and the Encounter of East and West by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book The Letter Bag of The Great Western; by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Contours of Canadian Thought by Petre M. Petrov
Cover of the book Swedes in Canada by Petre M. Petrov
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy